Thursday, May 18, 2017
Destiny A String of Vita Disappointments eXistenZ and Short Circuit
Destiny A String of Vita Disappointments eXistenZ and Short Circuit
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Games: Like many of you, Im looking forward to the release of Destiny in a day or so.
Having played the alpha and the beta I already know what to expect, and Im definitely ready to sink my teeth into something a little bigger than what Ive been playing lately.
Since I knew this was coming, Ive been hesitant to start any large-scale games, and instead Ive been spending time on handhelds and smaller projects. Nothing against them at all, but im definitely getting the itch to sit down in front of my TV and play something with a lot of pizzazz to it.
From what Ive heard, the preorders have been about 3 to 1 in favor of the PS4, and Im a part of that statistic� If youll be playing on the PS4 as well, feel free to send me a friend request and maybe well see each other on the battlefield. Hit me up at GCBrad on PSN.
So, what about those handheld games I mentioned?
First up was Natural Doctrine.
Ive covered it a bit here at the blog before, but I sunk a fair number of hours into it since then and I have to say that Im quite disappointed with the game, not only because it gets a lot of things wrong, but because it had the potential to be so great. Ill save most of the gory details for my full review which is still in-process, but a lot of potential is squandered thanks to a frustrating difficulty curve and systems which dont get properly explained.
Its a real shame because when the game works, its pretty cool� There are some great ideas here, and Im a fan of the strategy RPG genre. Im always up for another one, and especially one like this that has new ideas. Unfortunately, it just commits too many sins to forgive. I can easily imagine a lot of people who would have otherwise loved it staying away because of how offputting it can be.
I may chip away at this when Im feeling self-hate, but its on indefinite hold for now.
Also on the Vita, I just played Dont Starve.
Ive been wanting to try this one for a while, but I knew it was coming to Vita and that seemed like the best place for it. I love the premise and the art is quite sharp, but I have to say that after playing it for about half an hour... I dont want to play anymore.
From what I can tell, the game is just a bunch of crafting, and at this point in my life, crafting is a "game mechanic" that feels like a big waste of time to me. It feels erroneous to even call it a mechanic� Youre simply collecting shit to make other shit. Its busywork, and while I can see how that might be okay for some people (and not saying theres anything wrong for liking it if you do) for me its pretty close to the bottom of my list of things I enjoy.
Deleted.
I also spent a good bit of time with Akibas Trip: Undead & Undressed, and much like Natural Doctrine, its another one with a lot of potential and a great premise that ends up being a bummer.
I mean, the concept is that you are a person running around Akihabara, yanking the clothes off of vampires in order to expose them to sunlight. That sounds awesome, right? Unfortunately, the actual gameplay is a lot like Segas Yakuza, only about 1/19,000th as entertaining thanks to an insipid story, way too much boring dialogue, a shallow combat system, and not nearly enough sex appeal to sizzle.
I dont quite understand the logic of taking this premise and then making something that ends up being so boring, but there you go.
Deleted.
Adding to this list of recent disappointments is Velocity 2X. Ive heard a lot of people praising it, but Ive got to be honest here� It just does not click with me at all.
The action involving a spaceship that teleports never feels natural or intuitive� Theres a weird kind of stop/start pace that doesnt build momentum, and its not pleasant. The weird thing is that the game clearly wants you to do speed runs, so that makes the way it feels to me even weirder.
Besides that, its just not very fun� You basically teleport to get around walls while collecting a bunch of crystals, and then every once in a while you leave the ship and do two-dimensional platforming, which is again, mostly about teleporting past walls and collecting crystals.
Deleted.
Anyway, Destiny in a day or so!
Movies: I found myself in the unusual position of having a couple of hours with nothing to do and Ive bookmarked about 1000 movies on Netflix without having watched any of them, so I figured it was a good time to knock at least one off of the list. I settled on David Cronenbergs eXistenZ� A title I only vaguely knew about, although Ive heard people talk about it several times.
Heres what I knew: it was gross, and people plugged into some kind of virtual reality.
Heres what its actually about: people plug into a virtual reality simulator via incredibly disgusting bio-consoles, but its really a psycho-trippy developers-eye look into how games are developed and what they mean to the people who play them.
I dont know if Cronenberg is a gamer himself, but he gives uncommonly insightful commentary from the dev side, and I found it incredibly interesting and relevant, especially in light of the last two weeks.
eXistenZ ended up being quite a bit different than I expected, but in an altogether better way. I was bracing for one of those hokey films that wants to base itself on gaming without knowing anything about it, but it was quite sharp and provocative, and didnt feel dated at all.
Excellent film.
Speaking of movies, weve been looking for films to introduce our five-year-old, and today we chose Short Circuit.
Its beenyears since Ive seen it, although I remembered quite liking it back in the day, and I have to say, it holds up really well as a kids film.
Its simple enough for even young children to understand, quite tame in terms of content, and its paced superbly so as not to lose the attention of smaller viewers.
Not only that, who doesnt like the military-robot-come-alive Johnny Five? Interesting to look at and easy to love, hes a great star.
If you havent seen it in years and you forgot about it, or if youre a parent looking for a good film to watch with your kids, this is a fun choice.
********************PR/NEWS/INFO********************
Styx: Master of Shadows, the infiltration game from Cyanide Studios, has a unique verticality that is ample throughout the gallows, alleys, courtyards and winding halls within the Tower of Akenash. Coming October for PS4�, Xbox One� and PC, scale and prowl through the expansive and mysterious home of the World Tree, either subverting the guards, or quietly and invisibly disposing of them.
Todays video is the first of a series of gameplay trailers we will be releasing over the coming weeks until the release of the game. It illustrates some of the Goblins skills, as he uses his stealth, weaponry, bold moves and smart use of the environment to get rid of the towers denizens.
Youtube: http://goo.gl/e51vSV
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Today Deep Silver announces the launch date for Escape Dead Island - November 18th in North America.
YouTube: http://youtu.be/VaAWvz2lKYc
YouTube: http://youtu.be/VaAWvz2lKYc
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After a bit-longer-than-expected Anomaly 2 is all set up to hit PS4! The tower offense strategy - or reversed tower defense if you prefer - game will land in Full HD on PS4 on September 16th 2014.
Anomaly 2 is a sequel to the critically acclaimed Anomaly Warzone Earth. Maintaining the core elements of the original, Anomaly 2 adds new features to the single-player campaign and finally puts your skills to a test in a completely unique experience: the dynamic tower defense vs. tower offense multiplayer mode!
In the years following the invasion of Earth in 2018, the planet has been overrun by alien machines. Humankind is on the verge of extinction. Traveling together in huge convoys, they search the frozen tundra for food and supplies. Since the war, the roles have been reversed: now our species seems to be the Anomaly on a machine-controlled planet. Your convoy, Commander, is called Yukon.
Find more at http://anomaly2game.com/
For more goodies join us here https://www.facebook.com/anomalygame
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Idea Factory International is excited to announce today that Hyperdimension Neptunia� Re;Birth1, a new installment in the long-loved fan-favorite RPG series Hyperdimension Neptunia, has been released on the PlayStation�Vita handheld entertainment system in physical and digital forms in the North American market today, August 26, 2014. It will also be available in digital form in the European market tomorrow, August 27, 2014. Idea Factory International is also excited to reveal to fans in Australia that the game will be digitally released on the Australian PlayStation�Store!
Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth1 is a remake of Hyperdimension Neptunia, which was previously released for the PlayStation�3 computer entertainment system in 2011. Updated event conversations, graphics, and newly added game mechanics will entertain fans who have already played the PlayStation 3 version of Hyperdimension Neptunia as well as newcomers to the series.
The official website for Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth1 now features a new gameplay trailers! Visit ideafintl.com/rebirth1 to find the trailers and more information about the game!
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Here are two characters from Persona Q that need no introduction.
...because you get to pick their own names! Here are the character videos for the heroes from Persona 3 and Persona 4 for you to view:
YouTube:
P3 Hero
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zC0j-HO5pOY
P4 Hero
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75i5_aZ-7Rk
About Persona Q
Persona Q is a first-person dungeon crawling RPG adventure that combines the casts of the hit ATLUS games Persona 3 and Persona 4in a brand new story. Not only is Persona Q the first new RPG in the Persona franchise since 2008, but it is also marks the first time a Persona game will release on a Nintendo platform. The Personadevelopment team joined forces with the Etrian Odyssey development team to create a true fusion of the two franchises - Persona Q features the map-making and first person exploration from Etrian games and fuses it with the character development, combat, and motifs of the Persona games. Persona Q will be available at retail stores in normal and premium editions:
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Have you pooped today? If not, weve just made your day by announcing The Binding of Isaac Rebirths release on November 4th, 2014. Thats a Tuesday. I sure do like Tuesdays, we hope you do too...Mmmm tacos. Tacos have fiber. Fiber helps you poop.
Anyway, as you patiently wait for Nicalis to squeeze out the game, you should watch the trailer below which was created using the blood of unicorns, bacon, poop, cream cheese, and burlap sacks. How many of those are actually true? Watch to find out! Nightmares included free of charge, of course!
Anyway, as you patiently wait for Nicalis to squeeze out the game, you should watch the trailer below which was created using the blood of unicorns, bacon, poop, cream cheese, and burlap sacks. How many of those are actually true? Watch to find out! Nightmares included free of charge, of course!
More information can be found on the official website at http://bindingofisaac.com/ or on the Rebirth FAQ page http://bindingofisaac.com/post/77761867219/the-binding-of-isaac-rebirth-2014-q-a
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Youre on your own. No one to come for you. No one to help you. No one to hear you sc
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